One of the best decisions I’ve made since moving to Maine was leaving my job as a baker and heading into corporate America. While I miss the customer interaction, the baking, and so many other aspects of that life, I’ve been able to meet new people and develop new connections on my own. When I moved to Maine I was moving to an area where I knew people. While that’s fine, it can be hard having someone else get to define who you are to others before you’ve gotten the chance to ever introduce yourself. It’s something I never recognized I valued, but as I’ve grown and learned who I am letting other’s define who I am and speak for me is something that I find frustrating.
Since taking a job in corporate America I’ve grown thanks to the people I’ve met and the connections I’ve created. I love the team I work with (I ramble about them a bunch when Nicole interviewed me for her Made With Love Experiment podcast) and to be honest I enjoy the work I’m doing even if I never saw myself in this field.
When I started three years ago I befriended Emma. She was just starting her career as a writer and was trying to find her style. I’ve been lucky enough to watch her writing develop over the last three years and with it her career as a writer has taken off. She’s a full time author now and is still busting her hump to write all of the endless ideas that swirl in her mind. She encouraged me to start my shop and has provided the inspiration for some of my designs like the Sorcha Mitts. This cowl was inspired by her novel The Faceless Woman part of her Otherworld Series–a collection of fairy tale retellings with a twist. The Faceless Woman is a Swan Princess retelling so it seemed fitting to try my hand at a feather pattern.
I started this project back in June and it has been a labor of love to complete it. I frogged it three times to get this pattern right, but it was worth it. The drape of this yarn is everything I’d hoped it would be and to be honest I want to make a more simple cowl using this yarn one day to let the yarn shine. It has a simple stockinette stitch for 2/3 of the cowl followed by the cabled feathers that go up the back. Emma will have more photos of this as the cowl is now in her hands, but I know this cowl will be loved and that makes the ripping, counting, cursing, and cabling all worth it.
I’m thankful I have friends like Emma to encourage me, challenge me, and grow alongside me. Find yourself friends like that, because they’re worth keeping around.
